Nov. 27, 2024

S03E217: Jupiter's Magnetic Tornadoes, ISS Dodges Debris, and India's Solar Breakthrough

S03E217: Jupiter's Magnetic Tornadoes, ISS Dodges Debris, and India's Solar Breakthrough

Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E217
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your trusted source for the latest in space exploration and astronomical discoveries. I'm your host, Anna, bringing you today's cosmic headlines from massive magnetic phenomena on...

Season 3
Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E217
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your trusted source for the latest in space exploration and astronomical discoveries. I'm your host, Anna, bringing you today's cosmic headlines from massive magnetic phenomena on Jupiter to the latest in asteroid research.
Highlights:
- Jupiter's Magnetic Tornadoes: Discover the colossal magnetic tornadoes on Jupiter that are spawning Earth-sized storms. These massive storms, visible only in ultraviolet light, are dense hazes of aerosols formed by swirling magnetic vortices in Jupiter's stratosphere. Learn how these phenomena are linked to the IO plasma torus and the planet's magnetic field.
- International Space Station's Space Debris Challenge: Delve into the recent evasive maneuvers by the ISS to avoid dangerous space debris. With over 10,200 active satellites and millions of debris fragments in orbit, the station's need for debris avoidance maneuvers is on the rise, highlighting the growing challenges in low Earth orbit.
- Asteroid Research Breakthrough: Explore the new integrated approach for studying near-Earth asteroids, demonstrated during the observation of asteroid 2022 WJ1. This methodology combines space-based detection with ground-based observation, providing unprecedented detail about incoming asteroids and enhancing planetary defense capabilities.
- Farewell to Earth's Temporary Mini Moon: Bid goodbye to asteroid 2024 PT5, which recently ended its brief stint as Earth's second moon. Learn about the fascinating study of these temporary orbital captures and future close approaches of 2024 PT5.
- James Webb Space Telescope's Exoplanet Insights: Uncover the latest findings from the James Webb Space Telescope on the Super Earth Gliese 486B, shedding light on the cosmic shoreline and the atmospheres of distant worlds. Understand the implications for planets orbiting red dwarf stars and the search for potentially habitable worlds.
- India's Solar Observation Breakthrough: Celebrate India's first major breakthrough from the Aditya L1 Solar Observation Mission. Discover how the mission's Advanced Visible Emission Line Coronagraph instrument is providing detailed data on coronal mass ejections, offering crucial insights for protecting our technology-dependent world.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Sign up for our free Daily newsletter to stay informed on all things space. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, Tumblr, and TikTok. Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
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✍️ Episode References
Hubble Space Telescope
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html
NASA's Cassini spacecraft
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html
International Space Station
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
SpaceX's Starlink
https://www.spacex.com/starlink/
Catalina Sky Survey
https://catalina.lpl.arizona.edu/
Lowell Discovery Telescope
https://lowell.edu/research/telescopes-facilities/lowell-discovery-telescope/
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
https://www.ucm.es/
James...
WEBVTT

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily with me Anna, bringing you the

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latest space and astronomy news. Today, we have an exciting

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lineup of stories from across the cosmos. We'll be exploring

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massive magnetic tornadoes on Jupiter that are spawning Earth sized storms.

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Learn about some close calls with space degree at the

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International Space Station, recently, dive into groundbreaking asteroid research, and

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much more. Let's get started with today's space headlines. Planetary

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scientists have made a remarkable discovery on Jupiter enormous magnetic

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tornadoes that are creating storms as large as our entire

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planet Earth. These massive storms manifest as dark oval shapes

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in Jupiter's atmosphere. But here's the fascinating part. They're only

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visible when viewed in ultraviolet light. The discovery came after

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years of observations, including data from the Hubble Space Telescope

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and NASA's Cassini spacecraft. These mysterious dark ovals are actually

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dense hazes of aerosols in Jupiter's stratosphere, formed by swirling

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magnetic vortices that twist down from the planet's ionosphere into

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its deep atmosphere. The key to understanding these storms lies

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in the powerful magnetic interactions happening around Jupiter. The planet

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is surrounded by something called the Ioplasma Taurus, a doughnut

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shaped ring of charged particles spewed out by volcanoes on

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Jupiter's moon Io. When these particles interact with Jupiter's magnetic field,

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they can trigger the formation of these massive tornado like structures.

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These magnetic tornadoes take about a month to form and

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then dissipate within a couple of weeks. The resulting haze

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in these dark ovals is remarkably dense, about fifty times

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thicker than typical concentrations in Jupiter's atmosphere. It's as if

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Jupiter has its own version of Tornado Alley, except these

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storms are large enough to swallow Earth whole. The International

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Space Station has had to take evasive action twice in

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less than a week to dodge dangerous space debris, highlighting

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an increasing challenge in low Earth orbit. The most recent

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maneuver happened Monday morning, when a Russian Progress cargo spacecraft

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docked to the station since August fired its thrusters for

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about three and a half minutes to move the iss

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clear of an incoming piece of space junk. This came

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just six days after a similar maneuver was needed to

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avoid a fragment from a defunct weather satellite. The growing

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frequency of these avoidance maneuvers points to an increasingly crowded

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orbital environment. There are currently over ten thousand, two hundred

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active satellites in orbit, with SpaceX's Starlink constellation accounting for

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about six thousy, seven hundred of those, but the debris

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problem is far more extensive than just active satellites. Experts

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estimate there are around forty thousand, five hundred tracked pieces

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of debris at least four inches wide, over a million

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pieces between zero point four and four inches, and an

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astounding one hundred thirty million tiny fragments at least a

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millimeter in size. Even these smallest pieces pose a serious

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threat as they travel at speeds around seventeen thouds thousand,

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five hundred miles per hour at the station's altitude. To

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put this growing hazard in perspective, the ISS has had

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to perform thirty two debris avoidance maneuver since nineteen ninety nine,

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with the frequency of these events clearly on the rise.

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Speaking of avoiding things in space, in an exciting development

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for planetary defense scientists have unveiled a new integrated approach

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for studying near Earth asteroids. This breakthrough was demonstrated during

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the observation of asteroid twenty twenty two w J one,

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which was first detected by the Catalina Sky Survey in

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Arizona last November, just hours before it entered Earth's atmosphere

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over southern Ontario. For the first time in history, astronomers

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were able to track and study an incoming asteroid in

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detail during the brief window between its discovery and atmospheric entry.

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Using the Lowell Discovery telescopes rapid tracking capabilities, researchers observed

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the asteroid for about an hour before it disappeared into

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Earth's shadow, moving at an incredible five degrees per second

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across the sky. The combined data from telescopic observations and

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fireball cameras allowed scientists to determine that twenty twenty two

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WJ one was a silica rich object just forty to

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sixty centimeters wide, making it the smallest asteroid ever characterized

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before impact. This precise size calculation was possible thanks to

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measurements of the asteroid's reflectivity as it approached Earth. This

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new methodology of combining space based detection with ground based

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observation provides unprecedented detail about incoming asteroids and represents a

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significant advancement in our ability to study these objects. The

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success of this approach suggests we'll be able to gather

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even more detailed information about future Earth impacting asteroids, enhancing

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our understanding of these celestial visitors and improving our planetary

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defense capabilities. And a little update, Earth has bid farewell

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to its temporary companion, as asteroid twenty twenty four PT

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five has a fIF ended its brief stint as our

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planet's second moon. The thirty seven foot wide space rock,

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which had been orbiting Earth since September twenty ninth, departed

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on Monday at ten forty three a m Eastern time.

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Scientists who track this celestial visitor say it's been a

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fascinating opportunity to study these temporary orbital captures. Doctor Carlos

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de la Fuente Marcos of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid,

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who helped discover the asteroid's mini moon status, explains that

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twenty twenty four PT five is typically part of the

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Arjuna asteroid Belt, a collection of objects that circle the

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Sun in orbits very similar to Earth's. Looking ahead, astronomers

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have calculated several future close approaches of twenty twenty four

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PT five to our planet. The next visit is expected

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on January ninth, twenty twenty five, when it will pass

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within about one point one million miles of Earth. However,

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its velocity during this approach may be too high for

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Earth's gravity to capture it again. A more promising opportunity

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might come in May twenty eighty four, when in conditions

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could be just right for another temporary capture. While we

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say goodbye to this particular mini moon, scientists remind us

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that such temporary captures are relatively common, with several typically

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occurring each decade. These events provide valuable opportunities to study

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near Earth objects and better understand the complex gravitational dance

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between Earth and its cosmic neighbors. The James Web Space

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Telescope is helping astronomers tackle one of the biggest questions

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in exoplanet research, which distant worlds have atmospheres. A new

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study focusing on the super Earth GLEISA four hundred eighty

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six B is providing crucial insights into what scientists call

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the cosmic shoreline, the dividing line between planets that can

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maintain atmospheres and those that cannot. Located just twenty six

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light years away, Glisa four hundred eighty six B is

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about two point eight times the mass of Earth and

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orbits a small active red dwarf star. Recent web observations

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reveal the planet has a scorching day side temperature of

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eight hundred and sixty five kelvin, measured with unprecedented precision

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to within just fourteen degrees. This extreme heat suggests the

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planet has either a very thin atmosphere or none at all,

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as a thick atmosphere would help distribute heat more evenly.

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The findings are particularly significant because they help scientists understand

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how planets orbiting red dwarf stars, the most common type

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of star in our galaxy, might lose their atmospheres over

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billions of years due to intense stellar activity. This knowledge

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is crucial as astronomers continue their search for potentially habitable worlds,

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suggesting they should focus on more massive planets or those

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receiving less intense stellar radiation if they want to find

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worlds that have held onto their atmospheres. Finally, today time

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to say congratulations. Scientists in India are celebrating the first

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major breakthrough from their ADITYA L One Solar Observation Mission,

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the country's pioneering venture into solar studies. Using their advanced

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visible Emisis line coronagraph instrument, researchers have successfully captured and

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analyzed detailed data about massive solar eruptions known as coronal

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mass ejections. These powerful solar events can weigh up to

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a trillion kilograms and hurdle through space at speeds reaching

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three thousand kilometers per second. When directed toward Earth, they

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can traverse the one hundred fifty million kilometer journey in

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as little as fifteen hours, potentially causing significant disruptions to

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our technology dependent world. The mission's ability to precisely track

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these solar storms could prove invaluable for protecting our modern infrastructure.

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These events can interfere with satellite operations, disrupt power grids,

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and affect global communication systems. By providing early warnings of

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incoming solar storms, ADITYA L One's observations could give us

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crucial time to safeguard sensitive equipment and maintain essential services.

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What makes this achievement particularly noteworthy is the spacecraft's unique

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vantage point and capabilities, Its specialized coronagraph can observe the

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Sun's outer corona continuously, providing uninterrupted monitoring that could help

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us better understand and predict these potentially hazardous solar phenomena.

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This advancement positions India among the select group of nations

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capable of conducting sophisticated solar research from space. And that's

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it for today. Thanks for listening to Astronomy Daily with

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me Anna. If you'd like to catch up on all

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our back episodes, sign up for our free daily newsletter

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and stay up to date with the latest space and

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astronomy news. Head over to Astronomydaily dot io. You can

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also find us across social media. Just search for astro

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Daily Pod on Facebook, x, YouTube, Tumbler, and TikTok. I'll

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see you tomorrow with another episode of Astronomy Daily. In

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the meantime, keep looking up and let me know if

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you see anything unusual.

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Bye the Stars. The Soul Store is control